Baseball marathon tops LSU spring game

The LSU spring game had two sponsors - the National L-Club of former LSU letter winners and Tony Chachere's seasoning.

Admission was free. There was live music and free food. Fun for the entire family! A Fan Fest!

What is this the school fair? Was there a bake sale, too? Were there rides? Could you pin the tail on something? Could you dunk a sportswriter or perhaps a former quarterback? I thought the state fair was in October.

Yet another new LSU offensive coordinator would be on display. Quarterback Zach Mettenberger put on a show last year with several bombs, and word from the closed practices was that he was improved even over his strong finish to the 2012 regular season.

The weather Saturday - sunshine and temperatures in the high 60s with a breeze - cooperated. It could have made you feel 18 again.

And still, few came. LSU said 28,000, which was a stretch. Curley drew more than that. By the end of the game, it was closer to 10,000.

Hats off to you Louisiana sports fans for not going. I'm proud of you. I respect you more every year that I go to a spring game in a Tiger Stadium as empty as that night of Oct. 9, 1993, in the fourth quarter of Florida's 58-3 win over LSU in year five of six straight losing seasons.

Spring games are not real football, and LSU fans are real football fans. Spring football is a contradiction in terms like jumbo shrimp. When you've tasted the best, Red Lobster just doesn't do it even if it's free with Tony Chachere's on top.

Let Alabama have its 78,315 at its spring game and the cameras of ESPN, whose programming department really does not know what to do with itself after football season. It televised the NFL Combine for four straight days for God's sake. Auburn had 83,401 at its spring game Saturday. Hey, the War Eagles finally beat Alabama at something.

There are things to do in Alabama, but too many people there are thread heads. There is more to life ? this time of year anyway. Why weren't those people in Gulf Shores? Why weren't they on Lake Martin?

Spring football is not football, even if Saban is on the field. Of course the way the SEC bridge schedules for Alabama these days, the Tide's second team may be better competition than their SEC Least schedule of Tennessee and Missouri next season. LSU, meanwhile, plays Florida and Georgia from the East.

Alabama got out of playing Georgia last year because of the bridge schedule after Missouri and Texas A&M joined, and the Tide got out of playing Georgia again this year. It's time to switch the Alabama-Tennessee yearly battle to Alabama-Georgia.

Speaking of weakling Tennessee, there were another 61,076 at the Vols' spring game. Maybe, Tennessee fans figured the spring game was their only chance for a sure win in 2013.

LSU will be very good in 2013 and finish with a better record than in 2012. John Chavis will get his rebuilding defense together. New offensive coordinator Cam Cameron will make Mettenberger as good as any quarterback in the SEC. But neither of those things will happen because of anything that happened on Saturday.

The best part about Saturday from an LSU perspective was Saturday night - hours after another spring game faded into oblivion. The LSU baseball team beat Alabama 11-8 in 16 innings.

"This is a game that these guys will never forget," LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. "We certainly made a memory."

I don't think anyone said that as they exited Tiger Stadium Saturday. As Sunday morning became Sunday afternoon and night, talk in this town centered much more on baseball than football.

It's that time of year. Give football a rest. The heart will grow fonder while it's away.

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Baseball marathon tops LSU spring game

The LSU spring game had two sponsors ? the National L-Club of former LSU letter winners and Tony Chachere's seasoning.